University features in Sun exclusive

A writer and photographer from The Sun were given access to our biomedical research facility and had the chance to witness research as well as talk to academics, technicians and professional services staff.

The resulting article ran with the following headline:

Can rats cure fat epidemic? We go behind the scenes at the animal research facility that could hold the secret to ending obesityLab researching cure to the obesity crisis experiments on rats to see how the brain reacts to food

The visit came about following a national request from the Science Media Centre to host the reporter and Leicester took up this opportunity. The visit was spearheaded by Heather Sanders, Director of Biomedical Services, and a range of research was presented to the writer. She met with a number of staff from the College of Medicine, Biological Sciences & Psychology and toured the facility.

Andrew Fry, Director of Research in the College said: "At Leicester we're very keen to make sure that we are completely open about the animal research that we undertake and that it fully adheres to all national guidelines. Our research on animals is entirely aimed at improving human health and includes important studies on some of the most common and devastating illnesses, from cancer and heart diseases to diabetes and obesity. Many important breakthroughs have been made as a result of our animal research and it's vital that we explain this clearly to the public."

The coverage arising from the visit has generated praise.

Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research who supported the University throughout the project, said: “Many congratulations - I know it’s nail-biting stuff doing visits like this, but pitch-perfect coverage like this shows that it is so worth persevering.”

Bella Williams from UAR described the article as ‘fantastic’ and Fiona Fox from the Science Media Centre said it was great coverage for Leicester. Tom Holder from UAR supported the University throughout the visit to provide the wider context of animal research in the UK.